If there is one thing we can take away from loudQUIETloud, and perhaps from the entirety of the Pixies' re-entry into the world of rock and roll, it's don't big deal it and you will be a success. Steven Cantor's film takes us through the conflicted -- yet strangely reticent -- course run by the hugely popular Sell Out Tour of 2004. One of the most loved and least seen alternative bands of the late '80s and early '90s, the Pixies rejoined after a split attributed to creative differences in 1992. The ensuing film is an insightful portrait of a musical enigma, its members genuinely unassuming about the scale of their success and influence. The Pixies approached Sell Out with a circumspect placidity, each one a proverbial island in the sea of mundane human behaviour that accompanies life before and after super-stardom. The emotional nature of the relationships between band members is downplayed as they stay out the tour, with none of the usual rock'n'roll shenanigans one has come to expect from the rock-umentary that follows a hyped-up comeback. The result is, in contrast, a very intimate and grown up picture of life on tour for career musicians as they attempt to take up the roles of their youth.

NB: catch director Steven Cantor in a Q&A after the screening and some special guests and Pixies' themed DJing in the ICA bar (the DVD is released on 06/11).

Dancing becomes acting in this fantastic collaboration between dancer Antonia Franceschi and director Nancy Meckler, artistic director of Shared Experience. It's struggle street New York in the '70s. Loads of anger channelled into the discipline and ambition of ballet. A coming of age story from the mean streets of New York -- but without the Saturday Night Fever or Fame glitz. Video projections of black and white images of ballet class that become abstract city crowd scenes, a bit like a blurred title sequence from ER. The three performers are fantastic. There are no rough edges around the transitions from dance sequences to narrative: it moves in and out of dance so perfectly. Seeing pointe work up close in this intimate space makes you aware of the agony dancers must go through. Franceschi played Hilary van Doren in the movie Fame in 1980. She was a soloist in the New York City Ballet for many years, working with George Balanchine and many other major choreographers. Up From The Waste is her personal story of teenage years in '70s New York: from streets to ballet class to being chosen by "Mr B" to be in "the Company".

NB: runs till 11/11 (for dance fans make sure you check out the last few days of Dance Umbrella 2006).

The piano is the conduit for more psychological twisting in a glacial thriller that does all it can to emulate the altitude of films like The Piano Teacher and Hidden. Director Denis Dercourt has assembled a stupendously bourgeois setting flashbacking to a young girl (Deborah Francois) who misses out on a toffee nosed music school because the judge (Catherine Frot) is far too self absorbed to pay her audition any attention. Ten years later and the young girl had matured into a femme fatale par excellence inveigling herself in the judge's life with the kind of cool insouciance the French do in their sleep. Naturally revenge is served through a myriad of exchanges, some subtle, some involving the sharp end of a musical instrument, but really the film falls and rises on the performance of Francois who slips between dead eyed manipulation and the kind of expressionless violence you might see in a prison.

NB: The Page Turner is released in London on 03/11. Another film of note released on the same day is Todd Field's Little Children.

Coming from an award-winning novel by Australian writer Luke Davies and featuring box office draw Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain, The Brothers Grimm) and much talked about rising star Abbie Cornish (Somersault), this tale of a love triangle between "a hero, a heroine and heroin" seems to have all the right calling cards. Candy (Cornish) and Dan (Ledger) are uncontrollably spun round in a centrifugal relationship, dizzy with love for one another, but being heroin addicts hell-bent on a divisive course of petty crime, prostitution and destruction. All Candy's parents can do is look-on in disbelief at their daughter's descent into hell, while Casper (Geoffrey Rush), Dan's surrogate father, friendly pusher-man and a notable chemistry professor to boot, encourages the young lovers' addiction. Candy is economically shot, avoiding the tendency in movies to try and come up with tricksy cinematography recreating "that experience of heroin", and doesn't pander to cheap voyeurism, keeping explicit shots and scenes of abuse mainly out of frame or off screen. Cornish and Ledger make a powerful pairing, but with little back-story to our young lovers' lives and thinly fleshed-out supporting characters, Candy takes weighty subject matter and makes it seem worryingly light.

NB: Candy is released in London on 03/11. Other films of note released on the same day are The Page Turner and Todd Field's Little Children.

"What a multitude they seemed, these flowers of london town!" wrote the free-spirited poet William Blake. Over the centuries, the vibrant city has inspired generations of like-minded artists and writers. Late At Tate invites you to events which explore how London captures the imagination of those living in the city today. Iain Sinclair (author of London Orbital) will be in conversation with literary bad boy Will Self to mark the publication of Sinclair's new book, London: City Of Disappearances. There are Voices In The Gallery, when Michael Horsham from Tomato and Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry select works from the Collection displays and discuss how they bring to life stories about London; and current Turner Prize nominee Mark Titchner presents an evening of performance, poetry and conversation. Meanwhile, Joe Kerr, Professor at the Royal College of Art, gives a talk on the working life and history of the world-famous Routemaster Bus. After such travels, you can go underground with a documentary film on London's sewer system, The Great Stink, by founder and producer of Big Brother, Peter Bazalgette. And, listen to the eclectic mix of sounds, songs and film scores, as writer and broadcaster Jonny Trunk delves deep into his record collection to bring you his own soundscape of London.

NB: catch Iain Sinclair at the Spitz the night before for his Penned In The Margins evening.

This is the last week to catch Saatchi's latest picks from the other side of the pond. USA Today is a fairly typical array of artists and artworks, vaulting gaping stylistic incongruities in leaps and bounds. Josephine Meckseper's photographic work functions better as a multiple than as an image on the wall (her photo Pyromaniac II is the "face" of the exhibition, as it were), and brings into question a concept that really dominates the show. It's a kind of chicken-or-the-egg scenario: is our over-familiarity with the consumable image devaluing the work of art, or is our fascination with popular culture creating a reverential view of trash culture? Pleasantly devoid of much of the predictable "Americana" that so often dominates the European view of the US art scene, USA Today has a remarkably international feel -- focusing instead on the culturally diverse aspect of the American identity -- but still falls short of breaking any new ground. As with most Saatchi endeavours, there are some real gems in amongst the rubble, but you have to dig for them.

NB: runs till 04/11.

We hardly need to wax lyrical about the coquettish merits of the original blonde bombshell, but to celebrate what would have been Marilyn Monroe's 80th birthday refresh your memory at this Barbican double bill. Sandra Shevey, author of The Marilyn Scandal: Her True Life Revealed By Those Who Knew Her, introduces the screenings of The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot -- two fantastically funny films which really benefit from a big screen outing. With Marilyn, the incredible power of her iconic image and cult following make it easy to forget what a flare she really had for comedy. Do yourself a favour and watch Some Like It Hot, where her pouting ditziness bounces off the farcical energy of the Lemon / Curtis double act with alluring humour that is a genuine knockout.

NB: The Seven Year Itch screens at 2pm and Some Like It Hot screens at 4:15pm.

It's easy to forget these days that east London doesn't just consist of Shoreditch and Hoxton and that the area hasn't always been populated by a mish-mash of web designers, electro DJs, skinny jeaned bands and scooter riding human viruses. This Saturday the area's past and present collide as the dilapidated yet beautiful Wilton's Music Hall is taken over for the performance of a site-specific work by musicians Radovan Scasascia (better known for his outstanding electronica productions as AM/PM and Secondo), Janek Schaefer and film-maker Laurent Benner (with sonic support coming from KultureFlash's very own Fail HDJ). The oldest surviving music hall in the country, Wiltons opened for business in the 1850s and went on from being the premier East End venue, to a Methodist centre providing support over the years to striking dockers, anti-fascist demonstrators and acting as a shelter for the local population during the Blitz. Saved from demolition but still a ghost of its former self, the music hall provides a perfect backdrop for a performance that through film and music, developed from samples that like the building are echoes of their own past, hopes to create a feeling of temporal dislocation and take the audience on an unforgettable journey.

NB: catch Radovan Scasascia under his AM/PM guise on 02/11 at the ICA as he takes part in Diamond Sea, another special multimedia night.

Was Samson the world's first suicide bomber? Was the Great Jewish Revolt of Masada the start of a siege mentality that continues until today? In biblical legend, when Samson brought down the Temple on the Philistines -- and himself -- with the cry "O God, avenge but one of my two eyes", he became the first in a long tradition of self-destructive vengeance which appears to have no end. In Avenge But One Of My Two Eyes, Israeli documentary filmmaker Avi Mograbi draws a parallel between the Israeli-Palestinian situation today and the myths of Samson and Masada, and their mythic effects on the continuing cycles of violence in the Middle East. In a challenging and provocative film shot in the Occupied Territories, Mograbi casts a critical eye over both Israeli and Palestinian policies, attempts to remind us of the human consequences of the conflict, and offers a plea for the power of dialogue.

NB: you can also catch Avi Mograbi on 06/11 (8:30pm) at the Cine Lumiere after another special screening of Avenge But One Of My Two Eyes.

Combine the dusty landscape epics of Ennio Morricone with Portuguese fado folk music, add a sprinkling of beach soaked surf music, '50s jazz, the twanging guitar of Duane Eddy, the cumbia rhythms of Mexico, and immerse them in a narrative written by Carlos Fuentes, and you'll bear witness to Tucson alt-country stars Calexico. For the last decade they've been creating massive scores with their broad embracive sound, employing marimba, cello, accordion and vibraphone in addition to their usual work on bass, guitar and drums. With a cameo appearance in Michael Mann's Collateral movie, and collaborations with Nancy Sinatra, Neko Case and Iron & Wine, their live sets continue to be a celebratory affair. Modestly supporting them is one-man band Jeremy Barnes, aka A Hawk and a Hacksaw, another multi-instrumentalist who combines percussion with a jazzy ambience edge. Having recently relocated to the mountains of New Mexico, it's imaginable this evening will offer a Southern style musical trip beyond comparison.

As originators of the Cinema Verite and Free Cinema movements, two of the greatest documentary-making countries -- France and Britain -- come together during Documentary Film Month for a week-long celebration of recent factual film. Comparing documentary practice between the two countries, the season highlights similarities and differences in approach to the subjects of Resistance (Settlers and Black Gold) and Justice (Sisters In Law and Au-dela de la haine), including the UK premiere of Nuremberg, Christian Delage's film, carefully assembled from 250 rolls of film shot during the 10-month Nuremberg Trials by the legendary John Ford, director of epic American Westerns (including The Grapes Of Wrath and The Searchers). The festival also profiles documentary filmmakers Sean McAllister (The Liberace Of Baghdad, The Minders) and Claire Simon (Mimi) and screens a programme of British Free Cinema classics, including Enginemen (Michael Grigsby) and Every Day Except Christmas (Lindsay Anderson). With Q&As for almost all of the screenings, this is a great crash-course in cross-Channel documentary filmmaking.

NB: Real To Reel runs till 12/11.

Turner Prize winning YBA Gillian Wearing, best know for Signs... and Dancing In Peckham, draws on her passion for television and memories of growing up in '70s Birmingham for her latest work, Family History. It's a dual screen video installation that reveals two adjacent locations, the first being a nostalgic reconstruction of Wearing's front room. In it, little Gillian sits watching The Family, a groundbreaking TV series from 1974. The show, which followed the lives a working class family from Reading, is the original fly-on-the-wall documentary and ancestor of reality TV. Wearing was transfixed by the series, identifying particularly with Heather Wilkins, the outspoken 15-year-old who became its star. On the other screen, in direct contrast, a contemporary daytime TV chat show environment reveals a grown up Heather in a candid interview with Trisha Goddard. The piece is both a compelling exploration of Britain's social and cultural development over the last three decades and a complex meditation on personal identity.

NB: a panel discussion, including Trisha Goddard and Paul Morley, follows the screening. The event coincides with the launch of a publication on the project.

Due to its inherent thinness, paint does not hold the same noble status for architects as other "thicker", more "natural" materials. It is often not even considered as "material" being ideologically denigrated to the status of a building cosmetic. Art, that which architecture has aspirations of becoming, never had such problems with paint since it has long been its prime means for expression. Paint, furthermore, is not "thick": as a thin intelligent material, its smart coatings offer fire protection, waterproofing, anti-graffiti resistance, anti-fungal penetration. Whilst Sauerbruch Hutton are modernist in their outlook (Louisa Hutton worked for the Smithsons; Matthias Sauerbruch for OMA) departed from the white wall aesthetic from the outset. Early projects such as the L House and the GSW HQ have not faded and remain polychromatic explosions. Like the surgeon who wears green robes to optically correct retinae saturated through staring at red blood, looking at a SHA building in the flesh demands one looks away. You then see a contemporary city where the experience of colour saturation has been lost, dissolved and diluted. Buildings that stand as urban monochromes, albeit with subtle shifts in hue, provide us with timely reminders that we don't need 3Mb pixel mobile phone cameras to improve our image of the city.

At first glance, Kentucky born Matthew Ronay's brightly coloured sculptures look like kid's toys, or stage sets from a theatre production of The Simpsons. On further inspection, though, these cartoon fantasy-scapes are actually an anarchic mix of objects from contemporary life with much darker implications than their aesthetic suggests. At the base of Obese Eclipsed C*ck, two sets of testicles and bite-marked pen*ses point towards untouched hamburgers sitting on a plank of wood. In the same room, the words "You are a lying shit and we hate you" have been daubed on the wall around 3-D cartoon style angry female faces. Also on display are many of Ronay's doodles on paper, which seem to be the starting point for much of the work in the show. The seductive, comic book and almost naive appearance of Ronay's work serves to act as a distraction to narratives of sexual dysfunction, war, destruction and consumerism. In a genius co-incidence, next door to the gallery is a well-known burger restaurant, whose signature red and yellow, cartoon-like decor provides an instant reminder of how many similar distractions we are exposed to everyday.

NB: runs till 08/11 (while there make you catch the Conrad Shawcross show next door at Victoria Miro).

Yo La Tengo, one of the finest purveyors of indie-rock, return to England in support of their warmly received and wonderfully titled album, I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass. Their 16th full-length release, it is at once both expansive and ambitious, suggesting -- unlike most bands who have been together for 20 years -- their best days aren't behind them. Of course, whilst this gig will be a good chance to hear the choice cuts from this release, like any band with such a superb back catalogue, it will be greeted by fans as an opportunity to hear some of the best indie-rock songs ever committed to tape. Their songs range from Pavement-esque indie anthems to tender acoustic strums, with the occasional 15-minute noisy psychedelic instrumental epics in homage to some of the bands which they are closely aligned, most obviously The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth. It's never too late to get into a band, even with a band that has such an extensive back catalogue. Their show at KOKO last year was a glorious reminder of their incredible diversity and songwriting consistency; this gig should be equally as affirming.

Isabelle Huppert must revel in the relative freedom that European cinema allows. Her work has become a signature for provocative and daring film-making. She has worked under some intelligent and sophisticated direction over the years, from Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard and more recently Michael Haneke. Perhaps by adding something unexpectedly visceral and honest to the roles she explores, her performances have a habit of leaving a lasting impression. Ma mere divided critics but made us all blush. Fearlessly accepting roles many would baulk at, Huppert immerses herself in the characters she plays. Following a preview of Patrice Chereau's Gabrielle -- a reworking of the Joseph Conrad short story, The Return -- at the NFT, she will talk on stage about this remarkable filmography and about her decisions to accept difficult subject matter. Consistently reliable for turning in unforgettable performances Huppert's reputation as a mesmerising screen talent is assured.

NB: the Isabelle Huppert season runs from 03/11 till 30/11.

It is likely that if you saw the most recent Frieze Art Fair, then you will recall Conrad Shawcross' Loop System - Major Third 5:4, Four Part Counterpart, a "kinetic light sculpture" consisting of helter-skelter twirling light batons. Only slightly less in need of a "may induce seizures" warning is Shawcross' exhibition, No Such Thing As One, at Victoria Miro Gallery. Conceived of specifically for the gallery space, the works on display explore the scientific and metaphorical search for the singular unit. Paradigm (Ode To The Difference Engine), 2006, is a large, highly calculated wooden sculpture that consists of two identical machines, which each ravel and unravel a piece of rope. Caught in a perpetually futile task, the machine is a clever illustration of binary oppositions, harmonics, and the inert forces of physics and cosmology. Another work, Space Grid (Mirrored Tetrahedron System), 2006, is a systematic arrangement of tetrahedrons that explores both complex mathematical principles and the simple structures of things. Whether or not Shawcross' investigations of the universe have any real scientific value is a moot point, as it is the method of enquiry, not the answer, that really matters.

NB: runs till 18/11 (while there make you catch the Matthew Ronay show next door at Parasol unit).

Jonathan Wateridge's first solo exhibition presents four large oil paintings showing scenes of crashed planes, grounded battleships and sunken galleons. Using a model as a starting point, Wateridge paints from the background forward on ten sheets of Perspex spaced apart and then bolted together. The Wreck Of The Constitution shows a decaying galleon mournfully tilting on the dark seabed with sunlight hopefully streaming in from above. Wateridge's technique leaves only the ship's moulding rigging flowing in the current on the front sheet of Perspex. In Jungle River Landscape With Plane Wreck a passenger plane covered in moss sits up quite proudly from underneath a mass of tropical foliage, but with its nose cone missing creates a rather sad character. Wateridge's paintings present romantic and wistful depictions of defeated machines conquered by nature starkly contrasted by the synthetic surface on which he chooses to paint and the fiercely protruding symmetrical bolts that hold his work together.

NB: runs till 19/11.

California-based artist Chris Burden has been an icon of contemporary art since his early performance works of the 1970s. His conceptual interrogations of power and technology, which began with 1971's infamous Shoot and Five-Day Locker Piece, have consistently raised both controversy and critical approbation. Having retired from his senior faculty post at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2005, Burden has continued to pursue his career through an overwhelming number of projects and international commissions. To coincide with Frieze Art Fair 2006, the South London Gallery hosted Burden's 14 Magnolia Double Lamps (2006) in its Camberwell space along with The Flying Steamroller (1996) outside Tate Britain. During the frenzy of Frieze weekend in October, KultureFlash caught up with Burden to share a few thoughts on his current practice.

To read the interview click here.

http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innocent_drinks/adverts/index.html As if to defy the technological sophistication so often associated with their homeland, Japanese artists like Maher Shalal Hash Baz, World Standard and Kama Aina are busy establishing a post-millennial trend in naive pop and innocent genre-melding in which unadorned melody and noble amateurishness trumps processed complexity. Now birthed at Copenhagen's boutique Rumraket label, Aina -- aka Tokyo's Takuji Aoyagi -- is the composer of "Coo Coo Bird 1", the devilishly catchy music on the Innocent drinks ads. This, his fifth album, proffers equally beguiling, if slightly darker, fare. With pianist Bill Wells, cellist Isobel Campbell's fellow Scots vocalists Steven Pastel and Katrina Mitchell adding occidental gravity to Aoyagi's gently strummed exotica, this is languorous escapism with the occasional sunlight-obscuring dark cloud of electronica. In the skeletal but intoxicating Hotaru and genuinely wistful Glasgow Sky, Aoyagi and associates make music that beckons you into another verdant world. Get it before the ad execs do.

To buy Club Kama Aina online click here.

KultureFlash is a free, weekly newsletter covering contemporary culture in and around London. Each week we track down some of the more unusual and interesting events taking place in the capital and deliver them straight to your inbox. Featuring art, gigs, films, talks, clubs and more -- we are committed to bringing you an eclectic mix of the most stimulating events in London.

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